Choices
by Beaucephalis
Summary: When an old friend comes to The Great Valley Ruby is faced with a difficult choice, to follow her heart and love or to stay true to the vows she has made to keep Chomper safe. Response to February prompt on The Gang of Five.
1. Prologue

**_Prompt: Your Protagonist of this piece is widely considered to be The Great Valley's foremost expert on love, but one day, they are approached by the last dinosaur they ever expected to see, with his/her most challenging request yet_**

 ** _Choices_**

 ** _Prologue_**

What choice do I make? This is a situation I had never expected let alone prepared for.

I sigh and take a deep breath of the cool air; my father always said it that thinking constructively is best done when you are calm and I have found his wise words to be very true. I look out towards the setting Bright Circle which is painting the sky a beautiful orange-yellow hue. It is as beautiful as the sight below. The Great Valley: from my Thinking Place I can see much of The Great Valley. I can see the long, winding river and endless fields of green grass and trees. These are the most common colours in The Valley, blue and green. It is very different to The Mysterious Beyond where all you can see is bare rock most of the time but I remember the view from Hanging Rock. It was above Secluded Canyon which was basically an empty Valley with a lovely stream running through it that teemed with plenty of fish and the ground had a thin layer of grass and a few trees near the tall ragged cliffs. I close my eyes and remember the last time I saw that sight, the last time. It was with my friends Ducky, Spike and Chomper and my beloved family, it was the first time I had been with them for over a year and two seasons.

Another long sigh escapes my beak as I return to the moment, a brief look down at The Valley and I see each of my friends at their homes. Littlefoot is having dinner with Grandma and Grandpa at the top of a plain hill. I can see Cera tickling her little sister Tricia as she lies down on a small pile of leaves. This sight of tenderness is something that I don't often see from Cera, she and I are usually competitive with each other but she is still my friend. Seeing this sight reminds me that she has a soft side behind that hard head of hers although I won't exactly tell anyone that I've seen her; she'd ram me out of The Great Valley if I ever did that. The thought makes me chuckle but it is no less close to the way Cera would react if I told everyone she was really a sweet softie inside. It also reminds me of my younger brother and sister and the antics we would get up too.

Raising my head, I stretch my neck to get the stiffness out of my joints. After all, I have been here for a while now. As I am stretching my neck and arms out, my gaze falls on a ledge on the other side of The Valley. It is a nest made from sticks, sheltered under a large rock: this is Petrie's home. I would recognise it anywhere since I along with Littlefoot and Chomper helped Petrie move there after his old nest was destroyed by a landslide during The Days of Rising Waters. I can't quite see into the nest from this distance but I'll bet Petrie and his family are having berries for dinner, Petrie would be pleased - after all, they are his favourite food.

Favourite foods; I can't help but remember my last Star Day. My friends had gone out of the way to bring me my favourite food in a Giving Ceremony and although most of the sweet bubbles were crushed by the Earthshake, I can still remember the sweet taste of the few I did have. Looking down at The Valley I try to spy out my other remaining friends. My eye follows the river to one of the many waterfalls in on the side of the cliffs. It is here that I can spot my friends Ducky and Spike. Even though the whole family which is the largest in The Valley I think is present I still manage to spot Ducky because she is right next to Spike who is swallowing down mouth loads of tree stars down at once. I can't help but laugh at the sight of Spike eating a bit of Ducky's dinner while her back is turned.

Ducky's mother is easy to spot since she towers over all of her children; she was very kind to me earlier today when I asked for a talk with her. I didn't know who else to turn to, as I am so used to taking my own counsel or my family's but I have no answers for the problem I was presented with and her advice was really helpful. Ducky and Spike are lucky to have such a compassionate and thoughtful mother.

With a huff I push myself away from the edge of the cliff that I was sitting on. I suppose that's why I made this cliff my Thinking Place, because it reminds me of home and the view from Hanging Rock. I stand on my long strong legs and look down towards my left and see a large opening in the rock which I have walked through plenty of times before for it is the entrance to The Secret Caverns which has been Chomper's sleeping place as well as mine since we moved to The Great Valley. I can see him waiting just outside the cave. I may not be able to see his expression from here but I can tell simply by looking at his agitated stance that he is worried, probably because I haven't come back yet but after the events of today I don't really want to go back down there. Our relationship is more than just a simply friendship or a caregiver now and that has been a major headache for me today. For all this time I had looked after Chomper and I have found that he is such a sensitive boy even though he is a Sharptooth, but I have looked out for him almost as if I was playing the double role of friend and mother. His announcement might have not been so bad if I only 'he' hadn't have shown up.

My gaze falls down to another clearing a short distance from The Secret Caverns and there is only one dinosaur present there and he is not what most people would expect to see here in The Great Valley, the land of plant eaters, because like me, he is a Fast Runner. He is a bright purple Fast Runner and an old friend of mine that I haven't seen since my earlier childhood years. His name is Cayne and he and Chomper are the source of all my troubles on this fine spring day.

I turn back on The Valley as twilight falls and the land is shrouded in darkness. I make my way into the cave behind me. I was once trapped in here on my Star day but ever since my friends pushed the boulder out of the way and then later going through the lengths to push it off the cliff entirely I have been able to access it easily. I lie down on the ground and put my head on the ground, I will be sleeping here for the foreseeable future since I have no desire to go down to The Secret Caverns or outside. Even though Chomper is worried, I am sure that he knows I would never do anything dangerous or foolish without a good reason and that is not what I have now. I feel almost selfish about my actions here but I can't stay near Chomper tonight. Too much has happened and I need time to take it all in and reflect on the day I have just been through. Still it would be courteous to tell him that I won't be sleeping down in The Caverns with him tonight, maybe the night air might even calm my hyperactive mind.

I get up from my prone position and slowly walk out into the night. Looking up at the sky I see a beautiful Night Circle at its fullest and all the lesser lights shining brightly. I remember Mr Thicknose said that if you look closely enough at the right places you'll see the outlines of different dinosaurs in the sky; these places are The Great Beyond for each of the different dinosaur kinds. I haven't seen any Fast Runner shape up there but I'm sure that I'll find it up there one day after all there are so many of these lights that there couldn't be one that is not shaped like a Fast Runner. Besides if there wasn't, then we Fast Runners would have no Great Beyond to go to when we pass away.

In the meantime I contemplate what will happen when I inevitably meet Chomper. I know that there is a choice that I must make soon, a very important one, but I don't know what to do and my feelings on the matter are such jumble that I don't know what they mean. How am I going to make the best of this particular situation when I have no idea what to do? My heart and feelings are jumbled but my head has a commitment and a course but until I hear what my heart is saying then I can't decide or I would be heartless.

As I walk slowly down the path from my Thinking Place and down towards The Secret Caverns, my mind plays over the events of the day and at first it amazes me how normal the day started out before it became an abnormal, ridiculous and heart dividing day, as I suppose if I wanted to properly analyse what happened today then I must start at the beginning. Suddenly I start wishing that I hadn't left my thinking place as my mind starts processing today's happenings from the moment I woke up…..


	2. An Almost Normal Meeting

**Chapter 1: An Almost Normal Morning**

It was the first warm rays of sunlight that woke me up in the morning Normally I sleep much deeper in the caves but after a long day of playing with my friends I was rather tired when Chomper and I finally got back to The Secret Caverns, so instead of going into our own separate caves we slept together near the entrance of The Secret Caverns. I remember that I slept very well last night so I was roused when I felt that ray of golden light warm up my hand then my beak then my body. I open my beak and let out a short yawn and blink a few times to get the tiredness out of my eyes. 

I look around the cave to find Chomper laying right beside me, to no surprise. He is still sleeping quietly but as The Bright Circle's warm, waking rays enter the cave, he too stirs awake. "Good morning Chomper" I say in a warm tone that a mother might use when addressing her child.

Chomper just gives me a long yawn in reply. I chuckle and get up onto my feet and stretch my hands out, Chomper follows suit. "Good Morning Ruby" he says as he rubs his eyes.

"Sleep well?" I ask.

"Like a rock" replies Chomper. A second later his belly rumbles loudly. I am vaguely aware that my own belly is also growling for food.

"Well let's go and get some breakfast then we can meet our friends so they don't have to go and meet us" I say as I walk out towards the entrance with Chomper beside me.

"That sounds really neat Ruby because I am really hungry now" says Chomper to me

"Then let's not waste any more time in finding the food we need to eat or we'll continue to feel hungry" I reply and head off for the trees for a few tree stars while Chomper goes hunting along the cliff line for bugs. After I finish eating the tree stars I gathered, which are lovely and moist to the taste because of all the skywater The Valley had received recently, I then head off for the nearby river to find some snapping shells which are really tasty, despite what most of my friends think.

It looks like I am lucky because as soon as I enter the cool water I can see three snapping shells at my feet. I make short work each of them, throwing one shell at a time into my mouth and using my beak to break the shell, it is a tasty and filling breakfast. Having settled my hunger, I go back to see how Chomper is going.

I find him by a nest of stinging buzzers; he is gorging himself on the little irritating buzzers. I can see that he is enjoying a good breakfast and while he is feasting I keep my distance since I would rather not get stung by those stingers. I look up at the sky to see The Bright Circle rising high over the cliffs surrounding The Great Valley and a lovely cool breeze blows through The Valley making the leafs on the trees dance in the wind along with my pink feathers on the back of my head, arms and back. I take a long breath and close my eyes and let myself go. How I wish my family could be here too.

"Hey Ruby, shall we go and find our friends?" says Chomper from my side.

"AHH!" I yell out and jump in startled surprise; I didn't even hear Chomper coming. I am glad he is a friendly Sharptooth or I would already have been eaten! "Stop stalking, Chomper! All it does is scare everyone" I say more harshly than I wanted. Chomper looks down, ashamed.

"I am sorry Ruby" he says to me in a sad voice.

I put a hand on his back and give him a friendly pat. "I'm okay Chomper. I just don't want others to think that you are hunting in The Valley, otherwise they might try to hurt you or chase you out and you're my friend. I don't want to see that happen" I say gently to him.

Chomper nods his head. "I don't want to be chased out; I promise I won't stalk anymore Ruby" he says, I know he is eager to please me. Lately he has been acting as if I had taken over the role of his mother and has jumped at my every word, which in a way makes him much easier to reason with when he becomes too enthusiastic.

I smile and nod my head. "Come along then Chomper. Let's go and meet our friends so they can meet us" I say and we both head off towards the river which we agreed to meet by today.

After a short walk through the trees I start to see the river in the distance and a cheeky smirk comes over my face "Hey Chomper, race you to the Watering Place!" I exclaim loudly.

Chomper looks alarmed at my call "But-"

I quickly cut him off before he can complete his sentence "Ready, Set, Go!" I sprint off as fast as my legs can carry me; I can hear Chomper trying in vain to catch up to me. Running is one of my favourite activities and when I get up to speed the only ones that can keep up with me are Petrie, when he is flying no one can keep up with him; and Ducky when she's swimming in the water. It still surprises me just how fast she can swim compared to everyone else. Even I can't swim as fast as her and next to her I am the best swimmer; but I guess that's why she is a Swimmer otherwise she would not be a Swimmer at all.

I race like the wind towards the water gaining more speed with every step and feel the wind rushing past my face and listening to its whistle filling my ears. I can't help but laugh at the joy I feel when I run, but I fail to notice Littlefoot appearing from behind a tree just ahead of me. "Ruby Look Out!" yells Chomper from behind but it is already too late. Littlefoot and I both cry out as I crash into his flank sending him to the ground and me crashing to the ground just beside Littlefoot.

A nasty pain courses up my body, I may have a graze or two on my belly or a big bruise, inwardly I curse my clumsiness. If I had been looking where I was going then I would not have crashed into Littlefoot. Wait Littlefoot is he okay? I let out a groan and raise my head to see Littlefoot right next to me; he looks about as banged up as me. "Littlefoot! Ruby! Are you okay?" Comes the concerned voice of Ducky as she runs to our aid with Chomper following close behind. Her presence here is a good confirmation that the rest of my friends are present and indeed they are because I can see them all hurrying towards me and Littlefoot.

"I'm okay" says Littlefoot as he slowly gets back onto his feet, I repeat his response and allow Chomper and Ducky to grab my hand and help pull me up. He seems a lot smaller now because Ducky is up right next to him and she has had a sudden growth spurt, she's slightly taller than him. Since Littlefoot, Cera Ducky, Petrie and I entered The Time of Great Growing we have all had growth spurts but Ducky and Littlefoot and I have grown the most. Ducky is up to my body now and Littlefoot is taller than me now, I only reach the base of his longneck.

Once I am on my feet I brush the dirt off my body and see that I'm only bruised not grazed but my chest still kinda reminds me of those annoying buzzers that just stay around your head for no other purpose then to annoy you.

 _"_ _Ah-Ah-Ah-Choo!"_

My head turns at Cera's sudden sneeze and one look tells me that all is not looks a little off colour, extra grumpy and I mean much grumpier then usual and rather sniffy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she has caught a rather unpleasant cold. This means that I and all my friends had better be careful around Cera who has a short temper on the best of days but that temper will be shortened even further by this cold.

Nevertheless I decide to inquire "Are you okay Cera?" I ask politely.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" says Cera in a rather irritated voice, as blunt as always.

"Are you sure you can play today? It's better to stay home if you're sick Cera" I say in concern. Judging by what I've seen, she's in no state to play today.

"I am fine!" says Cera sharply and defiantly adding "It takes more than a little sneeze to keep a good Threehorn down" We all roll our eyes at that statement and thankfully Cera doesn't notice this or she would be charging at us by now, or so I figure.

I turn back to Littlefoot and apologise for crashing into him. "That's okay Ruby" he replies in his normal friendly voice.

"Do you want to play Swimmer and Splasher with us Ruby? Do you? Huh?" asked Ducky eagerly.

"Oh yes Ducky, I would like to play Swimmer and Splasher" I reply eagerly and we all make our way into the water, even Cera despite her cold, not that anything would stop her so there's no point in telling her to stay out. Only Petrie remains on the bank to watch. He tends to observe our water games more than he plays them since he is not a keen swimmer.

"I'll be the Swimmer" Ducky cries out.

"You are a Swimmer" says Cera in a rather exasperated tone.

Ducky ignores Cera's snide comment and swims further out then any of us and counts up to ten. I move to the far right of Ducky and put my hands in the water, ready to splash her when she finishes counting. The others all go to find their own positions around Ducky, not too close to her, though. As a matter of fact, we all give her quite a wide berth. We may be allowed to move but it is not much of a defence against Ducky's swimming abilities, however because of these abilities she is also the one with the most restrictions. For one she is not allowed to dive and must keep to the surface at all times so we can all see her and must give us all an extra running second after we say 'splasher' before she comes to get us.

"Eight…nine….ten, here I come!" announced Ducky and starts to swim off towards the bank slowly with her eyes closed. That is a chief rule of the game; the Swimmer is not allowed to see and instead must rely on sound and touch. "Swimmer" says Ducky.

"Splasher!" we all say and as one we all start splashing massive amounts of water at Ducky who is hardly impeded by the torrents of water thrown at her. Ducky swims towards the left and away from me. I follow at a safe distance while using my hands to throw as much water up at her as I can. At the moment it is Cera, Littlefoot and Spike that need to worry, she is homing in on them faster than a Sharptooth to a piece of carrion.

"Swimmer" calls Ducky.

"Splasher" we all call back. Ducky is now headed straight for Littlefoot who is putting up a huge defensive wave of water out from his tail and it does catch Ducky off guard but she quickly adapts to the powerful waves sent towards her. She doesn't need to call now; she is too close and in just three seconds she has tagged Littlefoot.

"I got you Littlefoot, I did, I did!" shouts Ducky triumphantly.

"Okay I'm the Swimmer now" says Littlefoot and we all move to our own positions to begin the game again.

After a long while of playing Swimmer and Splasher, I choose a time to come out and take a short break as we all do at times but after I come out of the water I find Chomper looking at me from the side. He looks a little uncomfortable; I wonder why he feels this way around me recently. "Ah, Ruby, can I talk with you alone?" He asks in a very nervous voice.

"Of course you can Chomper" I say in my most reassuring voice. This isn't the first time Chomper has sought out my counsel. We both walk a short distance away from the rest of our friends until we are in a quiet, sheltered clearing with absolutely no one around.

"Are you okay Chomper?" I ask calmly, I don't let it slip that I have noticed his odd behaviour, he's already anxious enough as it is without him worrying about my opinion of him.

Chomper shuffles his foot but finally looks up and addresses me. "Ruby do you know how long we have been together, like how long it has been since I met you?"

The question catches me off guard. Why would Chomper ask me about how long we have known each other? "Well I've known you for over four cold times Chomper" I say slowly, scratching my chin. I don't know where Chomper is going with this.

"And nearly all that time I have been away from my parents" says Chomper, a little downcast.

My expression softens; I can't help but feel sorry for him. I know that I can relate to him but only to a certain extent, after all I have visited my family before. Chomper hasn't. I put a reassuring hand on his back. "I know you must miss your Mom and Dad Chomper, I miss my family too but I'm sure they would be proud of you" I say sympathetically.

Chomper looks up at me; he looks directly into my eyes and says "It's not that Ruby"

I cock my head to the left side and put my finger beneath my chin, curiously wondering what Chomper is trying to talk to me about. "It's just that I see you as more than just a friend now" I raise my head in surprise, my cheeks feels warmer and I feel strange, I realise that I'm blushing. I wait for Chomper to finish.

"I have been with you for so long and you have looked after me just like my friends did when I was a hatchling and I…." Chomper hesitates, he looks unsure about what to say "It's just that I've never had a sister and I feel…..that you're my sister… the sister I never had"

My throat feels dry all of a sudden and words just fail to escape my open mouth. I stare at Chomper, it is a mind numbing statement but at the same time I find myself accepting the crazy logic of the situation and I suddenly feel like I had just gained a new sibling. "And I don't want to ever be away from you" says Chomper.

I feel really touched "Oh Chomper…." I say.

Suddenly before I can even finish what I was trying to say, I hear a huge rumpus, I am evidently not the only one who has heard it; Chomper turns in the direction of the loud cacophony of voices. "Ruby!" I hear Littlefoot calling my name, it sounds urgent.

"Come Chomper, hurry!" I say as I grab Chomper's hand and we both run towards the shouting, we arrive at the edge of the river, our friends are standing on the bank watching what looks like a large group of adults that include all of my friend's parents and several others and they look like they are surrounding something.

"Hey get away from me!" says a strong if somewhat disgruntled male voice and someone, the owner of the voice shoves his way out of the crowd and into our sight but when he catches sight of us on the other side of the river we all gasp but no one's mouth is open wider than mine and the slightly older purple male Fast Runner on the other side who is staring at me in startled shock. "Ruby!" he cries.

"Cayne?" I whisper in amazement.


	3. Which Path?

**_Chapter 2: Which Path?_**

I watch Cayne run towards me as fast as he could but at the moment I am paralysed, seeing Cayne again has caused a whole flood of emotions and memories in me, seeing him I fell amazement, inexpressible joy, sadness, regret and above all else shock. Memories of my childhood cover my eyes as if I'm actually seeing them again. I see us swimming together in the river near Hanging Rock all those years ago, long before I had any siblings. I see us playing tag and falling into a small field of flowers where we each try to tickle the other. I see us feasting on tree stars and snapping shells and him sharing his snapping shell with me and I see us sleeping together. However when the happy memories pass the sad ones take their place and play through my mind I see Cayne arguing with his parents and myself crying from the bushes as I watched, I remember the last meeting we had then our parting, our families going our separate ways as the food became too scarce for two Fast Runner families. I remember crying long into the night after watching my best childhood friend leave and in all those years I haven't seen him once.

Tears pool around my eyes and my mouth is wide open but other than that I'm a statue, I am unaware of my friends looking at the Fast Runner and back to me then back again, all I notice is Cayne, it's as if everything has gone dark in my mind's eye and he has lit up with light and colour as he runs towards me looking positively delighted.

He leaps from the water and is now hardly a few paces in front me and he crosses the distance in one leap and before I know what is happening I feel his arms embrace me in a powerful hug but I'm still to dumbstruck to do anything. I can feel the warmth generated by our combined bodies and without realising I wrap my arms around him that's when I feel him brushing and stroking the red feathers of my back like how he used to, we didn't understand at the time that such a demonstration was only done by couples but now we're both older and I'm sure he understands it's meaning and that he is not just doing it for old time's sake which implies…

"Oh Ruby" Cayne whispers in my ear "Your as beautiful as the day we parted"

I feel the blood rush to my face at this statement but all I can say is "I missed you so much" in a whisper as a few tears trickle down my cheek and now I finally embrace him with a hug that was just as strong as his.

We stay in our embrace for what feels like an eternity to me because for me at this moment, only Cayne exists, that is until someone clears their throat just beside us. Our small world pops and I am made aware of everything else around me in an instant and I am a little alarmed to see none other than Mr Threehorn standing just between us as indeed everyone including the Grown-Ups and my friends are staring at us.

Cayne seems to realise this and releases me from his embrace and we both stand side by side looking rather embarrassed at the little show we had just put on. "You know each other" states Mr Threehorn gruffly.

"This is Cayne my old friend, old friend Cayne is" I say though Cayne seems to melt upon hearing my voice hasn't changed after all these years.

"Old friend or not we have one Fast Runner too many in this valley" says Mr Threehorn firmly to me.

Cayne responds with a scowl of dislike "If you had listened to me before then you'd know that I'm only spending a few days in here at the very max" he says sounding rather annoyed, which I'm not surprised by, Cayne never was the most patient dinosaur out there and Mr Threehorn certainly has a knack for testing ones patience.

"Please Mr Threehorn, I know Cayne and he'd never hurt anyone would you Cayne?" I say turning to him.

He gets my message, even after all these years he can still read me and that was the thing I was counting on for what might have looked like a blank expression on my face means something else to Cayne and few people can decipher it, only those closest to me can do that. "No I would not" he says crossing his arms and shaking his head.

Mr Threehorn doesn't look convinced unsurprisingly, he never takes these things easily and that means that he makes the situation less easy. I am thankful though for Grandpa Longneck's intervention he at least can see reason. "I don't see any harm in letting him stay for a few days, as long as you make sure he doesn't get into any trouble Ruby" he says to me, the look in his eyes indicate trust, he trusts me to keep him from harming anyone in return for letting him stay in The Valley.

"Yes Grandpa Longneck" I say respectfully giving him a firm nod of my head.

"Fine then, I think we can let this situation be for now Mr Threehorn" says Grandpa Longneck though Mr Threehorn gives an angry _"_ _Haa!"_ and trudges away looking very ill-tempered but then he nearly always is. The Grown-Ups follow, leaving me alone with my friends and Cayne.

"Oh Ruby, you look so beautiful, even after all this time" says Cayne, turning back to me and holding my hands gently in his, I can only imagine just how red my cheeks are because I can see Cera chuckling quietly behind Cayne at the look on my face.

"Cayne I never expected to see you again, I expected to see you never again" I say.

Cayne smiles at me "I told you I would come back and didn't I always keep my word?" he asks me and a brief look back into my memory and it reveals that he is telling the truth, sure he could break his word on small playful things but never on big thing like this.

"Cayne I am really happy to see you but what are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Looking for you" he replies.

My mouth falls open and I am left completely shell shocked, he's here looking for me!? But before I can ask why Cera makes her presence known.

"Well now we can get the pleasantries out of the way, who are you?" she asks a little too rudely for my liking but she always acts this way when someone goes at her father.

"I am called Cayne and I am a Fast Runner from The Mysterious Beyond, Ruby and I are old friends, we go way back" he says to my friends. "And who are you guys? Friends of Ruby's?" he asks them then turning to me looking just as curious of my friends as they probably are about him.

"They are my friends, This is Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike and Chomper" I say, pointing to each of my friends in turn, they each greeted Cayne back but Cayne's eyes immediately fall on Chomper. I imagine that he's surprised that there is a Sharptooth in The Valley.

He gives me a quizzical look "Your friends with a Sharptooth?" he asks imperiously but I can see by the look in his eyes that he is not at all happy about this I can almost hear him exclaiming _"_ _What were you thinking in befriending a Sharptooth Ruby!?"_

I respond in a composed but firm voice "Chomper is my friend, he is a nice Sharptooth that I've known for several cold times now and I promised his parents that I would look after him" Cayne looks surprised by my explanation and of how deeply I defend him. However I can tell by his shivering hands that there is something else on his mind _"_ _Bring it up then Cayne"_ I think to myself.

As if Cayne can read my mind he requests politely that I have a talk with him alone.

I take Cayne to a nearby clearing; the one Chomper and I were in before Cayne's rather energetic arrival "What is it Cayne?" I ask calmly.

He looks me deeply in the eyes and doesn't break glance even when he starts talking "Ruby, you know I like you and I am now at The Time of Mating" My stomach backflips when I hear those words and I feel a whole rush of emotions running through my body so hard and fast that I don't know what I am feeling but my mind quickly processes what he says and what he is probably going to say.

"I have arrived at Hanging Rock three days ago to find you gone and your parents telling me that you live here now" he says "I have waited so long to see you again Ruby and I don't want to part from you not now, not ever again" My heart beat has just soured higher than the sky itself and I hold my breath for behind his back he pulls out some Sweet Bubbles, my favourite food but the gesture is more complicated than that. In Fast Runner society a male proposes by giving the female an offering that is dear to her as a way of showing that he understands the one he wants to mate and he knows my favourite food is Sweet Bubbles. All I need to do is accept them.

"Will you come back home with me and be my mate?" he asks, holding out the Sweet Bubbles to me, though his face hides the tense feeling that I know he is feeling but I am completely gone, nothing moves through my mind, my whole body is locked in place such is what he has just asked me, he has wiped my mind of all thought and all I can feel are warm emotions building inside me, slowly at first but then rising to a torrent that is overwhelming I want more than anything in the world to take the Sweet Bubbles and I find my hand stretching out unconsciously.

 _"_ _Ruby wait!"_

I turn sharply and see Chomper jumping out from the bushes and running to my side.

"You promised me, you promised my parents" he says looking at me hard with worry and if I'm not mistaken a little fear?

I feel my heart start to plummet as if it fell from the top of very high cliff. I wanted nothing more than to accept Cayne's offer but now I remember that I have an obligation to Chomper and his parents and after he so openly declared his feelings for me as an elderly sister figure I could not bring myself to leave him nor can I violate my promise to his parents, they wanted him to stay in The Valley and wherever I go, he goes but going with Cayne means leaving The Great Valley. I can't stay here in The Great Valley because the residents are hardly in a position to take in another Fast Runner and especially not during their time of mating, I would almost certainly be kicked out. All these thoughts run through my head in an instant leaving me confronted with a situation I had not expected nor do I know how to find a solution for it.

"You promised?" asks Cayne looking at me curiously.

I sigh and slowly turn to face Cayne "I made a promise to Chomper and his parents that I would look after him here on The Valley and keep him safe from Red Claw" I say, the words feel dry in my throat and Cayne looks like he has taken a blow directly to the heart.

"But Ruby, is it worth putting me aside?" he asks.

I step away as both Chomper and Cayne stare at me awaiting my decision and at one they both try to move forward and talk but instead they see me turn tail and run away as fast as my legs can carry me. **"** **RUBY!"** Both boys cry and run after me but by now I am an untouchable blur, nothing can catch up to me as I jump into the river and run through it harder than I have ever run before, my heart pounding so hard in my chest that it drowns out all other sounds but I feel its pain too. I break from the main river in order to lose Cayne since he doesn't know this region very well and I stay in the water so Chomper can't use his superior sense of smell to find me.

Finally as I reach the waterfall at the bend in the river I run straight through the waterfall and into a small crevice on the other side, it's hardly big enough for me but I can't think of anywhere else to go or what to do because I am panting to hard from both my run and my out of control feelings. I let out a cry that is drowned out by the sound of the waterfall and brace myself up against the rock wall with eyes tightly closed; the only sound I can hear is my own overpowering heartbeat and the waterfall.

"What do I do?" I question myself quietly, I feel completely lost and my mind is to hyped to think clearly and no amount of deep breathing seems to calm me I just need talk to someone, I need to get this crushing weight off of my shoulders and I need advice but from whom? Who could help me?

Well, it has to be someone who has faced hardship and difficult decisions. The Longnecks come to mind on that note but I also need someone who knows about love and while the Longnecks are wise I don't think that they have had a challenging relationship as they always seem so in sync with each other so who else could I ask? Mr Thicknose? No. He has no one that he has fallen for so he could not help me understand my feelings. Who can I talk to?

Feeling to cramped in this small crevice I walk back through the waterfall and into the bright light of the outside world and then it is as if The Bright Circle itself has just shone upon the answer to my question. Sitting in the water on the opposite bank is a Swimmer whom I recognise as Ducky's Mother, I realise that I'm right next to her nest. At once I feel like I have found someone I can talk to. Ducky's Mother has faced tough decisions before when Spike is involved and she has lived in The Mysterious Beyond and look at how many siblings Ducky has, surely that is an indication of a good mother, of someone who has experienced love in all its joys and woes?

Taking a deep breath, I calm myself and approach the adult Swimmer who is busy eating some underwater green food. "Um Hello?" I say nervously, raising my hand in greeting.

Ducky's Mother raises her head at me and gives me a warm smile though I saw the initial surprise in her expression. "Oh, Hello Ruby, I didn't know you were around, what can I do for you?" she asks politely, her voice while different reminds me of my mother and already I feel a little more comfortable around her.

I walk over to her and just ask "I just want a talk with you, a talk with you I want" I say. I am met by a curious gaze from Ducky's Mother but she nods which I take as an invitation to start talking. I tell her of Chomper's announcement, Cayne's arrival and his proposition and the terrible decision I'm faced with, although I start off slowly I am soon talking as fast as the wind, laying all my thoughts and feelings on the matter bare before the adult Swimmer who just listens to me with a sympathetic expression on her face and finally I lose all my breath and can talk no more and just stand there breathing hard and fast.

"I just don't know what to do, can you help me so I'll know what to do?" I ask in a pleading manner as I look up desperately at Ducky's Mother. She puts a hand on my back and helps me to calm my breathing before anything else; once I'm calm she begins her reply.

"Ruby you must know that I can't make this choice for you but I might be able to help you with making what I hope will be the right choice" she says the offers me some of the green food she was having which I gratefully accept, I hadn't realised just how hungry I was till now and the deliciously moist green food is a filling meal.

"First Ruby, you need to know what you heart is telling you, when Cayne proposed what did you want to do?" the adult Swimmer asks me.

"I wanted to accept" I reply without hesitation.

"Then you know that you're heart's desire is to go with Cayne Ruby" says Ducky's Mother to me.

I protest loudly _"_ _But I can't just abandon Chomper! He needs me!"_

In response Ducky's mother takes up my hand in hers and looks me directly in the eyes, I feel as if she is reading my very heart with her gaze but the understanding look she gives me does not fill me with intimidation. "Ruby, you know Chomper can't stay in The Valley forever, it's hard but eventually he will have to go and I know that it will hurt him as well as you, your friends and Ducky and Spike but it is something that will happen"

I look down, I don't want to believe her words but I know she is right Chomper can't stay here forever and then what? He leaves and moves into the cold wide world alone. "I'm afraid that I can't tell you how to do this Ruby but I will say what I said before, that you should follow your heart because it will pain you to leave Cayne behind, I might suggest that Chomper goes back to his own parents but I don't know enough about the situation to make that call."

Ducky's mother's words go right through me, the piece my heart and I find that I'm trembling, Ducky's Mother may not be able to solve my problems but she has put me on the right track, I do want to go with Cayne but what about poor Chomper? That's the question and I'll need to ponder it more at my thinking place.

I look back up at Ducky's mother "Thank you for your advice Mrs Swimmer" I say respectfully.

"Your welcome Ruby, I wish you all the best dear" replies Ducky's Mother, she gives me a friendly parting nuzzle and pulls herself from the water while I head towards my thinking place, I have a lot to think about but one comment Mrs Swimmer said has stirred an idea in me, one that I hope with a little pondering will be the solution to my troubles.


End file.
